Bumper systems for modern passenger vehicles continue to evolve with respect to functional aspects as well as aesthetics. Despite this evolution, it is an ongoing issue for drivers to be able to observe a region near the vehicle in the adjacent lane. This area is referred to as a “blind spot.” This area is generally the angles between 90 degrees and 170 degrees from the forward direction of the vehicle. The right and left side blind spots are a source of numerous accidents when a driver makes a turn or a lane change and does not see another vehicle in the blind spot.
The most common solution to the problem of blind spots has been to use mirrors to aid the operator of the vehicle in determining whether obstacles are present in a blind spot. Such mirrors have been made in a variety of shapes and mounted in various locations to provide the operator with the greatest ability to detect obstacles in particular blind spots. For example, it is commonplace today to see a concave mirror mounted to the right side of a vehicle aimed at the right side blind spot. Blind spot monitors are useful to drivers because they help alert the driver when a vehicle is in the driver's blind spot in the adjacent lane.
However, blind spot monitors have a sensitive electromagnetic radiation emitting from the outer face which cannot interact with metal in order to operate properly. Moreover, due to the blind spot monitor's sensitive nature, the blind spot monitor must also be protected from impact by debris. In cars, blind spot monitors are affixed to the inside surface of the plastic bumper fascia in order for the car to accurately identify an obstacle in the vehicle's blind spot. Cars are generally always implementing plastic bumper fascias and therefore, this arrangement for the blind spot monitor is feasible in a car.
However, in trucks, bumper structures are usually metal and trucks, unlike cars, are body on frame vehicles. Where a metal structure is implemented, it is undesirable to mount the blind spot monitor on the metal structure due to the sensitive nature of the blind spot monitor. Furthermore, in the case where a plastic bumper fascia is used on a truck, the plastic bumper fascia moves relative to the vehicle frame and therefore, it is undesirable to mount the blind spot monitor on the plastic bumper fascia due to variable relative movement and inaccuracy that may result of such a mounting arrangement.
Moreover, customers typically want an integrated solution that looks well designed. It is typically not an acceptable solution to merely mount additional components onto the exterior of existing systems due to increased cost, complexity and manufacturing time. Failure to provide a well-integrated solution can also result in quality problems due to the integration of a sensitive blind spot monitor into a bumper assembly when the vehicle is a body-on-frame vehicle. Therefore, a blind spot monitor arrangement for a truck bumper is desired which resolves the issues identified above.